Intimacy with God?

[Jamie Gigliotti]

That's like saying we can't be intimate with our spouse unless we talk about the how-to's with our girl friends. What happens there? I'll tell you. Pretty soon we have to put on a show where we are more intimate than our neighbor. We begin comparing ourselves among ourselves. People shouldn't want to do that.

I think people have to be very careful when they think God wants them to do anything for the benefit of others. It means their focus is on themselves DOING something. Why are they looking at what others may lack to begin with? I see you asking certain ones if they have thus or so in regards to their feelings of intimacy. It seems very disingenuous to me, and I can't help but question your motives. You may think they are only good, but it isn't working for you....for the reasons I have mentioned already.

So basically what you are saying don't encourage intimacy just hope it happens? Craziness! I'm not gonna tell my daughters to just to get married, without teaching them what an intmate relationship looks like.

And this is how some 'Christian' teachers teach Christianity. Just believe; there is no need for His love, or for you to do anything else. God does not shove himself down our throats. I can worship at any moment and connect with Him or I can choose to do whatever else "I" want to do.

Jesus said remain in me and my love. It takes a conscientous act of our will to connect with Him intimately, (by grace, no One deserves to).Just like in any intimate relationship. Two willing participants. He is always willing. Are we?

Jesus laid down His life because He wanted to do His Father's will, not because He was forced.

 

[glorydaz]

So basically what you are saying don't encourage intimacy just hope it happens? Craziness! I'm not gonna tell my daughters to just to get married, without teaching them what an intmate relationship looks like.

And this is how some 'Christian' teachers teach Christianity. Just believe; there is no need for His love, or for you to do anything else. God does not shove himself down our throats. I can worship at any moment and connect with Him or I can choose to do whatever else "I" want to do.

Jesus said remain in me and my love. It takes a conscientous act of our will to connect with Him intimately, (by grace, no One deserves to).Just like in any intimate relationship. Two willing participants. He is always willing. Are we?

Jesus laid down His life because He wanted to do His Father's will, not because He was forced.

So you're contending that man is better able to teach us about intimacy with God than the Holy Spirit Himself. Gotcha. :thumb:

 

[Nick M]

And this is how some 'Christian' teachers teach Christianity. Just believe; there is no need for His love, or for you to do anything else. God does not shove himself down our throats.

You miss the point because you are in darkness. You do not get to have any relationship with God until salvation. OSAS. Moving from death to life. When that happens, you can then serve the Lord Jesus Christ so to not seem disqualified. I have not seen evidence of you having his life.

 

[Jamie Gigliotti]

So you're contending that man is better able to teach us about intimacy with God than the Holy Spirit Himself. Gotcha. :thumb:

The Holy Spirit agrees with God's word which tells us to remain in Him and His love. Sadly those professing to be in the know argue against this.

 

[Jamie Gigliotti]

You miss the point because you are in darkness. You do not get to have any relationship with God until salvation. OSAS. Moving from death to life. When that happens, you can then serve the Lord Jesus Christ so to not seem disqualified. I have not seen evidence of you having his life.

"With me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you... In fact I do not even judge myself....it is the Lord who judges me." 1 Corinthians 4:3-4

I am attempting to plant seeds that encourage loving relationships with Jesus and the Father through the Holy Spirit.

Why are you fighting against that?

 

[glorydaz]

The Holy Spirit agrees with God's word which tells us to remain in Him and His love. Sadly those professing to be in the know argue against this.

Nonsense, I'm not arguing against remaining in Him....we have been created in Him and IN HIM we will ever remain. Just as we remain in His love. Not because we are always faithful to Him but because He is always faithful to those He has sealed with the Holy Spirit. Not because we are doing the work, but because HE is doing His work in us.

For you to presume to admonish others to do what you think you are doing is to encourage others to claim some glory for themselves just as you clearly want to do. That is what is truly "sad". It's also what opens the door to spiritual pride.

 

[Jamie Gigliotti]

Nonsense, I'm not arguing against remaining in Him....we have been created in Him and IN HIM we will ever remain. Just as we remain in His love. Not because we are always faithful to Him but because He is always faithful to those He has sealed with the Holy Spirit. Not because we are doing the work, but because HE is doing His work in us.

For you to presume to admonish others to do what you think you are doing is to encourage others to claim some glory for themselves just as you clearly want to do. That is what is truly "sad". It's also what opens the door to spiritual pride.

"So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him." 1 John 4:16

God gives us the gift of Him and His love and places spiritual responsibility on us to abide in Him and His love so that His love comes through us. Saying God does everything shucks our responsibility in the equation. And makes Him out to be a robot maker.

I've admitted many times in TOL my need to continue to press on in humility and surrender to Him. He's not done with me yet. He requires our willing cooperation so His glory can shine through us.

He loved me first, I get no glory for reciprocating the love He gives.

 

[glorydaz]

"So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him." 1 John 4:16

God gives us the gift of Him and His love and places spiritual responsibility on us to abide in Him and His love so that His love comes through us. Saying God does everything shucks our responsibility in the equation. And makes Him out to be a robot maker.

So your contention is that it's our responsibility to ABIDE IN HIM. Is that what you're saying? And if we don't, we will no longer be IN HIM? Your tacking on a statement about God being a "robot maker" when you're talking about our "abiding" in Him is nothing more than a rabbit trail to hide what you're saying here.

I've admitted many times in TOL my need to continue to press on in humility and surrender to Him. He's not done with me yet. He requires our willing cooperation so His glory can shine through us.

He loved me first, I get no glory for reciprocating the love He gives.

But you do get "glory" for your "humility" don't you? You leave room for boasting in your "reciprocating the love He gives." That's what I'm talking about.


Rather than giving the Lord ALL THE CREDIT and ALL THE GLORY for what the Spirit accomplishes in us ....in spite of our natural human tendencies for self gratification, you want to claim some of the results. He is the ONE who causes us to be willing. He is the one who succeeds in getting us to surrender. He is the one who is successfully conforming us into the image of Jesus Christ. He is doing all that IN SPITE of ourselves. And He does it because He bought us and we are HIS workmanship. Thank God we are not our own. Our "humility" is not really humble. Our "surrender" is not really surrender. It only becomes that when He gets done with us, so it's HIS to claim.

Philippians 2:13
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.​

 

[Jamie Gigliotti]

So your contention is that it's our responsibility to ABIDE IN HIM. Is that what you're saying? And if we don't, we will no longer be IN HIM? Your tacking on a statement about God being a "robot maker" when you're talking about our "abiding" in Him is nothing more than a rabbit trail to hide what you're saying here.




But you do get "glory" for your "humility" don't you? You leave room for boasting in your "reciprocating the love He gives." That's what I'm talking about.


Rather than giving the Lord ALL THE CREDIT and ALL THE GLORY for what the Spirit accomplishes in us ....in spite of our natural human tendencies for self gratification, you want to claim some of the results. He is the ONE who causes us to be willing. He is the one who succeeds in getting us to surrender. He is the one who is successfully conforming us into the image of Jesus Christ. He is doing all that IN SPITE of ourselves. And He does it because He bought us and we are HIS workmanship. Thank God we are not our own. Our "humility" is not really humble. Our "surrender" is not really surrender. It only becomes that when He gets done with us, so it's HIS to claim.

Philippians 2:13
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.​

Jesus said to abide in Him. My argument is for us to do what He said.
"Abide in me, and I in you... By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples." John 15:4,8
The rabbit trail goes to Him.
"...apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15); nothing good anyway. He gets all the glory. Us bringing Him glory by connecting to Him and His love and reflecting Him brings Him glory.

My admissions that I need to be more humble are boasting?

God works in us with our willing participation. Everything you argue, argues against free will.

Love is free. God is not a manipulator, He is love. We love because He first loved us or we don't. He gives us all we need, by grace if we choose to embrace Him.

Thank you. This has lead me to start a new thread "Spiritual responsibility".

Hope to hear from you there.